Developing projects that contribute to the economic growth of the country

Río del Hombre, Francisco Morazán. Government authorities, representatives of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), and the Millennium Challenge Account-Honduras, presided over the acts that inaugurated the works of the expansion to four lanes of the CA-5 North Highway, in its Tegucigalpa-Comayagua Valley segment.

The expansion of the country´s main highway will benefit around 23 million users per year, which is equal to an average traffic load of 10 thousand vehicles per day. A total of 57 kms. of highway will be improved, with an investment of more than US$1,760 million from funds donated by the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the co-financing from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).

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The date stone of the road Project is located at the beginning of the segment.

Main committee presiding the acts of inauguration of works of Segment 1 in the CA-5 North Highway, Tegucigalpa-Comayagua Valley.

Presidential Designee, Mrs. Maria Antonieta Guillen de Bogran.

Representative of the American Embassy and Deputy Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation-Honduras, Mr. John Polk.

Minister of SOPTRAVI, Mr. Miguel Rodrigo Pastor.

“This highway is transcendental for the economic growth of the country, around 10 thousand vehicles circulate this road per day”, said the Executive Director of the MCA-Honduras, Mr. Martin Ochoa.

During her speech, Presidential Designee Mrs. Maria Antonieta Guillén de Bográn, expressed “We are grateful and happy for the successful conclusion of the Millennium Challenge Account´s projects and programs, this infrastructure work will help reduce costs for all the users of the CA-5 highway and will improve the country´s competitiveness.

The four lanes have an asphalt course of 11 cm. in thickness and each lane is 3.6 meters wide, for a total of 14.40 meters. In addition, it will have 2.4 meter wide roadside shoulders and a median strip with variable width. The works are state of the art engineering, especially in the design and construction of the Interconnector for the Peripheral Circuit/Tegucigalpa with the CA-5 North Highway and the Lane Change in the 41st. km.

Furthermore, Mr. John Polk, representative of the Millennium Challenge Corporation of the United States of America, expressed “It´s impressive to think in the impact this renewed economic corridor will have in the lives on many Hondurans. It has, and will continue to be, a source of employment, and hopefully it will be a source for new investments, so that the people who use this highway may find new opportunities for growth and development. The Government of the United States of America created the Millennium Challenge Account to reduce poverty through economic development, the purpose of this Project is to generate new opportunities, especially for the vulnerable population.”

The expansion of this segment, which concludes in mid 2012, will beneficiate agriculture, commerce, industry and tourism in the country´s central area. Likewise, it will generate economic growth, by reducing time travel for users, avoiding transportation damage and mishandling of produce, reducing vehicle operation costs and improving road security.

The achievement of this monumental Project will beneficiate more than 290 people who lived in the right of way (49 families in total), and were resettled in eight Millennium Settlements and 26 business premises. The improvement of the CA-5 North highway and the complex implementation of the people´s resettlement plans have caused a modernization in procedures and processes for the Government, expediting them in order to achieve the Millennium Challenge Account´s goals during the Compact´s time line.

The Secretary of Public Works, Transportation, and Housing (SOPTRAVI), Mr. Miguel Rodrigo Pastor, said to the attendants, “It´s important to mention the methodology, the process that has been implemented by the Millennium Corporation to generate additional benefits for the population that live where the projects are being executed; it is an example worthy of admiration, I congratulate you because truly you focus in something very important, elemental, and historic, which is the resettlement of people living in the right of way, by giving them better living conditions, giving them a decent house, and the opportunity for them to grow and develop. Likewise, it will be an opportunity for us to promote the zone´s economic development in an integral way,” indicated the Minister.

The event was presided by the Presidential Designee and President of the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Account-Honduras, Mrs. Maria Antonieta Guillen de Bogran; the Minister of SOPTRAVI, Mr. Miguel Rodrigo Pastor; the Deputy Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation-Honduras, Mr. John Polk; the Executive Director of the Millennium Challenge Account – Honduras, Mr. Martin Ochoa; the representative of CABEI, Mr. Pedro Emilio Benegas; and the representative of COHEP, Jose Alejandro Alvarez.

This web site was made possible through a grant given by the people of the United States to Honduras through the Millennium Challenge Corporation under the terms of a compact signed between the two countries. The information provided on this Web site is not official
U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Government or
the Millennium Challenge Corporation.